In Home Flushing Instructions and Suggestions

When water flows from the water treatment plant to your tap, many factors in the distribution system and household plumbing can affect your water quality. Follow these flushing tips to ensure that the quality of the water that flows through the mains remains the same as it flows from your tap.

Flush all of your faucets using these steps:

Remove faucet aerators from all cold water taps in the home.

To clear the faucet screen/aerator of debris, unscrew the screen

Separate the individual parts

Remove any sediment on the screen and other parts. If necessary, soak the parts in white vinegar for a few minutes and scrub with a brush.

Reassemble the screen parts and re-attach to faucet.

Beginning in the lowest level, fully open the cold water taps throughout the home.

Let the water run for at least 30 minutes at the last tap you opened (top floor).

Turn off each tap starting with the taps in the highest level of the home. Be sure to run water in bathtubs and showers as well as faucets.

Do not consume tap water, open hot water faucets, or use icemaker or filtered water dispensers until after flushing is complete.

The amount of time you should run the cold water to flush internal plumbing depends on many factors. Flushing times can vary based on the length of lead service line and the plumbing configuration in your home. If your home is set back far from the street, a longer flushing time may be needed to lower lead levels.

If you are planning to undertake a lead service line replacement, please utilize the Village of Western Springs Water Department as a resource for avoiding lead exposure for you and your family. Available data illustrate that lead levels are often elevated for some period of time following lead service line replacement. Complete lead service line replacements, which are recommended by the Illinois Department of Public Health, tend to release less lead and for a shorter period of time than partial service line replacements.